The Dirty Pair in the 21st Century
2001
January: Classic TV airs on NOMADE in France
April: VAP begins release of the sixteen DP Flash episodes on DVD
20 June: Dark Horse commence release of the first U.S.-originated DP merchandise, based on Warren's current character designs
July(?): ADV begins release of the ten Classic OVA episodes on DVD
summer: Classic TV airs on Channel NECO in Japan
autumn into winter 2003: DP Flash airs on KTEH in Bay Area, the first regular broadcasting of DP anime in the continental U.S. (there had been some broadcasts in Hawaii during the 1990s)
November: Classic OVAs and "movies" air on Locomotion in Brazil, Argentina, Spain and Portugal
a new wave of Japanese DP-related merchandise appears which continues to the present
2002
5 July: Classic and Flash OVAs air on Showtime Beyond; DP now reaches its largest international audience ever for the next 20 months
autumn: Classic TV episodes available as downloadable files on Bandai Channel
2003
autumn?: ADV begins release of the three Classic "movies" on DVD
25 October: Takachiho resumes publication of Crusher Joe novels with Waamuddo no Genjuu <Illusion Beast of Warmuud> (CJ9)
2004 Twenty-fifth anniversary of the creation of the Dirty Pair
1 January: Showtime Beyond concludes its 20-month run of DP with a marathon of all the Classic and Flash OVA episodes, begun on New Year's Eve
10 August: Takachiho resumes publication of DP novels after an 11-year haitus with Daatipea no Daifukkatsu <The Dirty Pair's Great Revival>
2005
26 May: Dairon no Seishoujo <The Holy Girl of Dylon> (CJ10)
2006
30 April: publication of Daatipea no Daiseifuku <The Dirty Pair's Great Conquest>; this proves to be the first shot in a Great Barrage of new items, including DVD releases, a radio show, and the first new Classic DP art book since 1988
1 October: Lovely Angel: Yuri and Kei begins its broadcast run on FM Osaka, with Horie Yui as Yuri and Minagawa Junko as Kei; the 26-week series commences streaming Internet broadcast two weeks later
22 November: VAP releases remastered DVDs of the Classic TV series, the Classic OVA series, and the Flash OVA series on ten discs, as Daatipea no Daiseikyou <The Dirty Pair's Great Prosperity>
24 November: Bandai Emotion releases remastered DVDs of Affair of Nolandia and Conspiracy of Flight 005, making available at last all the DP anime on discs
2007
13 June: Dark Horse publishes English translation of "Daatipea no Daibouken" (the first novella); start of possible translation series?
Bibliography
Martin King, "Never End the Dirty Stormy Destiny", Anime-Zine #3 (1988?)
John Carr III, "Dirty Pair's Big Victory: Affair of Nolandia", Anime-Zine #3
Toshi Yoshida, ed. and several writers, feature article, Animag #4 (1988)
unsigned introductory article, Animag #8 (1989)
Chris Keller, "Profile: Insiders" (interview with Takachiho Haruka), V.Max, 1, #7 (1993?)
Takayuki Karahashi, "Haruka Takachiho's Dirty Stormy Destiny", Animerica, 2, #5 (May 1994)
Sunrise Anime Super Data File [1977-1997] (Tatsumi Publishing Co., 1997)
unsigned, "The Evolution of the Dirty Pair", Animerica, 6, #5 (1998)
thanks also to Matthew Davis, Hitoshi Doi , Duncan Law-Green , Wim van Vollenhoven , the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan [SFWJ], Tiger Takahashi, Olivier Hagué , Joe's Room
Photo Credits
Takachiho circa 1979 from the bookjacket of the 1980 printing of Daatipea no Daibouken Takachiho in the 1980s from one of the bookjackets for the DP novels; the picture of T.-sensei in a suit is from the jacket of one of his motorcycle novels DP shootout from the Yasuhiko Yoshikazu Portfolio Book DP at the drive-in from the Sunrise Anime Super Data File "Uh-oh" from the Sunrise Animation Film Comic, Dirty Pair #1, "To Kill a Computer!" DP tableau with Mughi from Warren and Smith's Biohazards Takachiho in the 1990s from the SFWJ entry page for the Author DP Flash vidcap from animeart.com 2003 Takachiho picture from the Nihon Sunrise 30th Anniversary site current photo from the Author's current SFWJ page